Part of Your World
by MissStarKid
Summary: A crisscolfer fanficton


Chris dreamed of being free. He longed to be like everyone else, to feel like he belonged. Each day he spent his life how it was meant to be. How his family said it should be. He had to be the perfect merman, stay close to the clan.

Whenever he tried to change a routine, his father would knock him right down. "Why can't you be happy with what you have? Don't be so ungrateful boy!" He would recite.

But that was just the problem. Chris couldn't be happy with what he had. He knew there was so much more out there for him to see. Places for him to explore, people for him to meet. He daydreamed of the day he would escape this broken record and roam the whole world.

His glimmers of hopes and dreams would begin to dim as his father refused him his freedom. It seemed like nothing could save him. But then he met him. _Him_.

It was a warm day, the sun beating down onto the calm water like a spotlight. Chris was out swimming for shells. His tail gliding along with the ripples of water. The scales each glittering and shining in the light, bouncing gleams in every direction.

He surfaced, pushing back his wet hair. He looked around to make sure his family weren't lurking, then slowly swam a little closer to the rocks near to the land. His father always told him it was too dangerous, a human might see them and capture them.

Of course, he didn't want this, but he had never seen a real human before. Surely they couldn't all be that bad.

He loved the feeling of it too. The feeling of risk he got every time he neared the shore.

He lowered himself further into the water, only the top of his face out of it now, running his hands along the cold stone, tracing over the bumps and ridges that covered it.

Suddenly he heard a soft music playing from a few meters away.

He gasped quietly at the sound of it. It was beautiful, like nothing he had ever heard before. Nothing like the bells and trumpets at the sea festival, this was different. He wanted to live in this music, to bathe in it.

He edged slowly around the corner of the rocks, breathing almost silently as he looked around.

On the sand nearby, a short, curly haired man was sat, a guitar in his arms. His hands were caressing it, creating the perfect sounds coming from it. As his hands moved he smiled, his eyes shining with bliss. He looked in his own world, completely unaware of the things around him. Chris wanted to hear more, he needed to hear this man's voice.

As if on cue, the man began to sing along to his music.

_I want more..._

_I wanna be where the people are..._

He stopped, turning the knobs on the end of his instrument.

Chris was frozen floating where he was. His heart fluttered at the sound of his voice, it flowed through him, tugging on his heart strings like the guitar.

As he was nearly finished singing, Chris closed his eyes, letting the music soak through to his soul. Nothing mattered then but the words he could hear.

_I wanna be free, wish I could be, part of your world._

His mind came back to life as he processed the lyrics. They were describing exactly how he felt, exactly what he wanted. He smiled and stared after the man as he walked away, humming a tune.

Chris went back almost every day after that. Hoping to have a few more glorious minutes to watch him.

One day, a sunny weekend, he had been recklessly close. Closing his eyes and bobbing in the water. Lost in the music he froze when he opened his eyes to meet golden brown eyes staring back at him.

He quickly hid back behind the rock again, panting in panic. What if humans really were like his father said? He was so stupid for coming here.

He was about to swim as fast as he could away from there when he heard a slight cough a little behind him.

"Um, hello?" the angelic voice asked quietly. He was still on the land, wondering if he had just imagined the handsome man watching him from where he was hidden.

Chris was shaking, his heart beating a thousand beats a minute. He breathed in and out slowly.

"I won't hurt you." The voice was careful, aware of Chris's hesitation. Chris edged at a snail's pace to look around the corner again. He peeked out, only showing one side of his face, nervously looking up.

He saw the man was closer than he had thought, but he was smiling when he saw Chris. Chris added in his mind that he was even better looking than he had seemed before. His face was perfect, with a strong neck and smooth jaw line. His curly brown hair uneven on his forehead, and eyelashes longer than it seemed possible. They gently brushed against his tanned cheeks as he blinked.

Sensing that a reply at that time was unlikely, the man drew in his outstretched hand and sat back down on the warm sand.

"My name is Darren. My father is the king – but don't see me as a prince. I'm just me."

Chris remained a statue, but smiled slightly. He had sensed that there was something special about him.

Darren's eyes softened even more, "What's your name?" He tried to hide his desperate tone, but he really needed to know who this man was. He wanted to see him properly.

Darren's memory flashed back to the few precious seconds he had caught a glimpse of him. The young man's body was glistening with water from the sea, his hair swept across his head almost gracefully. His pale, slender form was innocent, but also flawless.

Chris let his heart take over his head and he took a deep breath.

"Chris." He hadn't meant to speak so quietly, but Darren heard him.

"Chris." Darren repeated, smiling at how high the voice he heard was. "And do I get to see you?"

Chris realised he was still only showing the side of his face.

"I... I don't know."

Darren kept smiling, but looked a little confused. "Why? I won't laugh at you if that's why you're worried."

Chris moved slowly from behind his rock, showing himself to Darren from only the waist up.

Darren's eyes widened a little, "Oh... are you...?"

Chris realised what he meant, what Darren must have assumed from his topless state.

"No! No. I'm just... different."

"In what way?"

Chris bit his lip. He dreaded to think what his family would say at this moment. If they ever found out about this...

He held his breath as he swam closer, and onto the base of the land. He sat himself down onto the tide line and waited.

Darren watched him expectantly, curious.

The tide went back, revealing Chris's gleaming tail lying in front of him. Darren stared in shock and awe.

"What's...is that, a tail?" He mumbled.

Chris shifted uncomfortably, "Kind of. Well, yes. Are you freaked out?"

Darren let out a breathless laugh. "I'm freaking out. But I'm not freaked out no."

Chris steadied his breathing gradually, leaning back on his hands.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I shouldn't be..."

Darren pulled his eyes away from his tail and looked Chris in the eyes.

"Why not? What's wrong with this?"

Chris half snorted, "Do you really have to ask that? Look at me! I'm..."

"Beautiful." Darren whispered, immediately looking down afterwards.

Chris stared at him, "I was going to say a freak..."

"Sorry," Darren mumbled, "I don't really think before I speak most of the time."

"Yeah I can see that."

They both laughed, and then sighed. Watching the waves crash gently against the shore.

Darren edged his hand closer to Chris, looking at him nervously.

"Can I? Do you mind?" He asked, hovering his hand above Chris's tail.

"I guess so," Chris replied quietly, surprised by the gesture.

Neither of them were breathing as Darren ran his steady hand along the smooth, slippery surface. He traced his fingers over each scale, gazing as they gleamed like stars.

Chris was trembling watching Darren's face as he touched him. He looked like he was concentrating hard, but his touch was as gentle as silk on his skin.

Darren had to refrain himself from losing it. His instincts told him to touch more of this smooth texture beneath his hands, but he didn't want to scare Chris away.

What he didn't know was that if Chris could find his voice to speak, he would of urged him on.

His heart hammering at the touch of this man's warm skin, tracing over his body. He felt as if his soul was touched. He shuddered.

Darren took his hands away immediately.

"Sorry, I got carried away." He blushed.

"It's okay." Chris replied in a small voice, his tail tingling from the loss of Darren's touch.

"I...I should really be getting back. My father will be wondering where I am." Darren frowned sadly.

Chris's heart panged, "You will come back?"

Darren smiled, "Of course, but tomorrow. I promise."

"Okay." Chris said, before slipping back into the deeper waters, turning around to look at Darren, "Oh, and bring something you can swim in."

Darren smiled, and picked up his guitar. He looked back at Chris one more time, his perfect face beaming up at him, before making the long walk up to the castle.

Chris tried to ignore the water filling up in his eyes and submerged himself back into the sea.

He laughed to himself suddenly, spinning around and around, feeling happier than he ever had before.


End file.
